THE FALL OF FUJIMORI
Directed & Produced by: Ellen Perry.
Written by: Zack Anderson & Kim Roberts.
Director of Photography: Ellen Perry, Junji Aoki & Mel Henry.
Edited by: Kim Roberts.
Music by: Mark Adler.
Language: English & Spanish with English subtitles.
Country of Origin: USA. 83 min. Not Rated.

This documentary on Alberto Fujimori and his Peruvian presidency is, supposedly, an attempt to portray a man who used the atrocities committed by the terrorist group, Shining Path, as an excuse to create panic and seize complete control of every governmental sphere. And yet, the film offers a curiously benign portrait of a man whose crimes and wrongdoings are still felt throughout the country today.

Perhaps one reason is the rare access given to the production team. The film begins and ends with Fujimori, offering his version of his rise to power and his hopes for a future favorable to his own interests. It intertwines this with a summary of his presidency, in chronological order, from his surprising first election to the scandals that let to his downfall.

In his question-and answer-sessions, Fujimori is asked about the crimes he is accused of. He either denies them or justifies himself – he was defending democracy, doing his duty, etc. The various discrepancies in his answers are not questioned by the interviewer, thinking, perhaps, that the former president’s lies speak for themselves. One clear example is when he is asked how he could have run for a second reelection if the constitution forbade it. He smiles ironically, as if admitting his own answer is a stretch.

Others, each briefly, contradict his statements, such as Enrique Zileri, editor of one of the few magazines that dared to oppose Fujimori’s government, as well as a former American ambassador to Peru, a human rights advocate, and Fujimori’s former wife, whom he kept almost incarcerated in the presidential palace after she spoke publicly against government corruption.

Although his 1995 campaign and the 1996 hostage situation at the Japanese Embassy are given a lot of screen time, the death squads, the repression of all opponents, and the power the military had over the government are passed over quickly. There is little analysis. And though a narrator mentions corruption, and the fact Fujimori settled in Japan, where he faxed his resignation (leaving his daughter, Keiko, alone in Peru to face the music), he is shown signing copies of his book and being praised by Japanese right wingers. Perhaps the film intended to be subtle; but I find too much subtleness, when referring to the horrific state of affairs from which Peru is still recovering, a bit lazy. Fujimori gets the first word, the last word, and in between, his word does not seem to be much questioned at all. Roxana M. Ramirez, lawyer and journalist, formerly a member of the Peruvian Human Rights and Public Service Ombudsman
January 18, 2006